I felt empty after a month in Copenhagen. Myself being an ignorant mass at the demonstration December 16, Reclaiming Power for the global South and indigenous peoples, pushing police lines to make space for a Peoples’ Assembly on struggles that I hardly know anything of, and apart from these few hours, make no notice of in my own everyday life. It was a token performance on my side. In the same way me getting token time and space to do workshops on feminist issues and consensus culture & decision making is an empty gesture from the autonomous scene I’m taking part in. Token time and token space granted from a scene who couldn’t care less about working on creating trust and real respect and sensitivity to the struggle I’m dedicated to out of necessity.

Back in Finland. Feeling sad and angry about not getting heard. Feeling strange and alienated from a social scene that claims that anti-sexism is important to support, but makes no effort whatsoever to change the things that a woman like myself can easily point out. Instead there’s much talk of how crazy and mean and evil and disruptive I am for the movement and the individuals in it.

I saw many Finnish persons in Copenhagen. Some of them I confronted. Some were just left there as daily eyesores – reminders of the ignorance and injustice existing in spite of the pretty words written by our (yet untitled, frighteningly unchallenged, and utmostly uncalled-for) leaders.

Today I wrote a short message straight from my bitter heart to one of the Head figures involved in the exclusion I faced in the Helsinki social centre scene:

The message to Micke Brunila: “Hi, you are fake and phoney. it’s so effing wrong what you did with exclusion and denial of your own blatant sexism in that effing mess. saw you outside bella center. your scared face far behind the police line. saw you and felt how fake and phoney the whole movement will be as long as your kind of power abuse easily can be swept under the carpet.”

Click here to see a film posted in the Guardian about the demonstration:

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4 Responses

One year ago you wanted to meet our common acquaintance Anna. In return she asked you to leave me alone. You replied as follows:

“If you by respecting micke’s own space mean that i should not have the right to confront her, and her “own space” would then equal to the social centre. Then i cant make you any promises. But if you mean private sms email fax phone whatever, you can find comfort in that i will leave her entirely alone. Is this good enough for you?”

She agreed and the two of you met each other.

Obviously I can’t prevent you from slandering me as much as you want on your blog. But please stay true to your promise and stay out of my inbox (phone, facebook, e-mail) and personal sphere.

And please remove the picture above. You have taken it from my Facebook account without my consent and I do not wish to have it distributed.

here’s a request to one of the informal leaders of a social center
project in Helsinki, Finland to put words into action. some years ago
this man, Micke Brunila, wrote a mail to some lists [including this
one] with promises

— “to change things from sloganeering to practice (from stating no
sexism to actually resolving conflicts in a structured manner)” [click
on the link: “Micke’s (Sexist) Response” in the following blog post to
read the full statement] —